A Picture's Worth A Thousand Deaths
by StainedRed13
Summary: (A retelling of the original Death Note series.) Bob is a university student wishing for something more in life. That all changes when he finds a handbook on the side of his driveway one day. Being clueless that picking up this simple book could change his life forever and the fate of humanity, there is only one person who can stop him. Can only one person change the world?
1. Cursed

Hello to all! This is the very first retell of an anime/manga that I wrote quite a long time ago. I do not own Death Note! Tsugumi Ohba does! The only characters I own are my OC Skylar, filler characters such as Bob, Josh, Marg, and Michael. I chose to do English names on this story only because it was easier for me at the time _

Hope you enjoy it!

A gloomy day struck down on Capital University. Bob, a student soon to be graduating, was sitting ignoring everything around him, listening only to the faint whistles of birds outside beyond the glass windows. The bell rang announcing that everyone was to dismiss for the end of the school that day. The clouds were submerged against each other, packed full of rain to open up on the citizens of Columbus, enveloping them in cold showers. "Day in and day out, all these people wandering around and something tragic happening to them every day because of miscommunications," he thought aloud to himself walking back to his loft apartment. Bob was a very complex person, he was at the top of his class, but sometimes was a slacker, seeming at how academics was an easy thing for him to process. He brushed his brown hair back out of blue eyes as it started to rain. When he reached his apartment, he noticed a small book on the side of the road, curious, he decided to see what it was. "The Handbook of Faculties? What the heck is this thing? And why is it on the side of the road?" He decided to take it inside to get a closer look at it.

Flipping through the pages he realized there was a pattern, making people disappear, vanish from anywhere, and possibly even death. Was this some kind of book to harm people with? It couldn't be possible, and why would he even try it out? For all he knew, it could be real…or an immature prank from some fool. _"The vanishing act will not take effect unless you know the person's name and or face. For example, if you have a photograph of that particular person, sketch them and they will vanish into nothingness."_

He had a grim look on his face after reading that. So, this was realistic, wasn't it? But in the back of his mind, he wanted to test it out on an individual. He decided to flip on the TV to whatever channel came up; next, he would pause it and quickly sketch the person, and afterwards, play the show again. He decided to try it on a news broadcaster announcing the day to day news for Saturday. Bob paused the video; he sketched the person, and turned on the show again. Waiting for a response from the handbook he tapped his pencil to a beat. Suddenly, she did disappear! Right into thin air! The people in the background were panicking about what had just happened to the broadcaster. Then they shut off the show on standby and started playing a few commercials in its place.

"The things I could do with this handbook that I now possess. I will cleanse the world of all evil! And reign as its new justice!" He slammed his fist in the air and jumped up excitedly. A look appeared on his face, an evil one for that matter…

The next morning every international police agency heard about these mishaps that were going on. They set up a meeting in the office building downtown to discuss what should be done to whom or what was causing this tragedy to strike. As the crowds kept piling in, people got more frantic by all the commotion and then soon left. The FBI and the CIA as well as the local police were left to get to the bottom of this. "It's too early to consider these homicides; we don't have enough evidence, just people disappearing."

"Well then maybe we should contact Skylar, she seems to fit this crazy situation…"

The officers grew silent hearing that name…Skylar, the top detective known to the planet. No one knows a thing about her, but she's managed to tackle every case given to her left and right.

"Gentleman, she has already begun her investigation on these incidents," announced a woman who came walking in. She looked like she was in her mid twenties, with long brown hair and blue eyes to contrast her fair skin, "She also told me to inform you that she's setting up the headquarters right here in Columbus, so we can keep an eye on everyone here."

"But, why Ohio in particular?"

"Just for convenience, we don't need to move somewhere else to get to the bottom of this case now do we?"

"I guess not…"

The women spoke again, "Skylar would like for me to give you a message before we start on the case." She opened up her Mac and the projector turned on showing a capital 'S' symbolizing Skylar's name.

The voice was synthesized but you could still make out what the message was saying, "The difficulty of this case lies in its unprecedented scope, otherwise it has not yet been determined. We are going to need the full cooperation of the National Police Agency if we are to get to the bottom of this one. This also includes similar police forces across the globe for any information that they might have pertaining to more disappearances."

Back at the apartment, Bob was sitting at his desk looking over some police files that he hacked into. He found out that the people of Columbus had given him the name, "Kidnapper." Some people were considering these acts to be homicide or suicides, others were going to support the Kidnapper and fight against their rights as a citizen. Surely, it was a jumble of arguments whether that this should be continuing or not, even the president has gotten involved with it. The young university student flipped on the television and soon found out that an international message from the all the police agencies was being broadcasted. It was a women sitting at a desk looking directly into the camera, appearing both serious and confident in what she was announcing, "Criminals around the world are still disappearing by a little vanishing act someone is putting on for the world to see. This is troubling, but also tragic. I will not rest until I find the Kidnapper and bring him to justice."

Bob was confused at what she was saying, but then she continued.

"Kidnapper, I've got a pretty good idea of what you're motivated to do, what you're doing is wrong."

He then became angry at the innocent female and shouted, "You think I'm evil!? I'm doing the world a favor by cleansing it! You're going to pay…" He then sketched like he never sketched before, writing down the name listed on the screen. The reporter was gone instantly, less than a second before his eyes.

A mysterious 'S' appears on the TV screen. The real Skylar was alive and was ready to speak to the presented enemy," I never thought it would actually happen…Well it seems like you've lived up to your name. I wouldn't believe it, if I hadn't just witnessed it. That person was not me; she was a double, an inmate to be exact. The police arrested her in absolute secrecy so even _you_ wouldn't know about it. It seems like you don't have access to this type of information."

"You got me there Skylar…"

"But I can assure you, I am real! Try to make me vanish, right here, right now! Can't you do it? You have given me a useful hint; now let me return the favor. This broadcast was announced as international, but the truth is we are only broadcasting in the Columbus region. Now I know where you are and what you're up to. To be completely honest, I'd never expect things to go this well. I don't mind waiting a bit longer; you can answer all my questions when I catch you…"

The screen went blank.

Staring at the screen, Bob spread a wild grin on his face, "I accept your challenge Skylar, I will hunt you down wherever you're hiding, and I will make you vanish!" Storm clouds could be heard in the distance, almost as if Skylar has answered to his words of confidence decorated in his sly voice.


	2. Processing A Criminal

Bright and early at the National Police Agency, agents were rustling through papers, searching for clues during their indirect conversation with Skylar. A particular agent named Sam spoke up feeling a little anxious, "All of the disappearances occur around the times of two o' clock pm and four o' clock pm according to our reports."

"That information is extremely relevant to hold onto. It suggests given the times of vanishings, our suspect could very well be a student. Based on the fact that the Kidnapper is only purposing a vanishing act, I think that it's safe to assume that he is following a notion of justice. Of course, there is no speculation against this point. Re-examine every assumption that you have, to determine that if it's a student or not. We will consider every possibility in this case for now. That concludes our report for today, I shall be speaking to all of you soon," Skylar concluded through the laptop.

The Chief of the NPA, Josh, walked home tiredly to his apartment that he shared with his brother, Bob. He greeted him at the door since he was headed to the kitchen. "Hey, did you bring those reports home with you?" Bob asked expecting an answer immediately.

"Yeah, they're all right here," he threw them on the table, and sat down in a chair after pouring himself a glass of ice water.

His brother simply replied reading the expression on his face, "You sure look exhausted, how much sleep have you gotten? You have bags under your eyes."

"Ha well I haven't really gotten enough I suppose. This case I'm working is really draining me, we are fighting tooth and nail to gain even the smallest evidence."

"I think you should take a rest for an hour or two since you're back home, I'm going back up to my room to study for some upcoming tests."

"Alright, I think I'll take your offer on that one," Josh yawned a little, and headed up to his part of the apartment, hoping to get some shut eye.

Almost every time Bob went to his room, he locked the door out of habit. It's not that he didn't trust his brother, but what he's been doing the past weeks; Bob couldn't take any chances from anyone. "What to do, what to do?" He muttered to himself as he paced about his small, tidy room. Lying on his bed, facing the ceiling, he pondered the thought on how to confuse the police next, to somehow steer them off course. A memory danced at the front of his mind, reminding him about the rules in the handbook. He could write the exact time that the act would occur, so they wouldn't suspect it would be anyone from the universities. However, knowing Skylar, she would notice it right away. On the good side of that though, Bob wanted to show his dominance in this battle.

Two weeks passed and Bob relentlessly made another twenty-three people disappear, the police got word of it. "You got to be kidding me! Are these confirmed?" the chief stood up and placed his hands on his desk firmly grasping the edge.

Agent Sam answered, "Yes. Except, now he's making them vanish one hour off the hour. Anyone could skip school though."

Skylar interrupted, "You're missing the point. It does appear less likely now that it's a student, but that's not the message he's sending by doing this. Ask yourselves, why every hour? And why are all of these people in prisons, where they are sure to be discovered right away? Why not other people like before? I believe that the Kidnapper is telling us that not only can he make vanishings from a distance, but he can also determine the time that this occurs."

A pause filled the room before she continued with her deduction.

"However, something's not right. When we suspected that he might be a student, the pacing changed. As if to contradict that theory, is it a coincidence? No, too convenient. The Kidnapper has access to police information. It's obvious now; that this is a direct challenge to me. What is he trying to achieve in the end? World domination or an unrealistic world full of peace? Endless possibilities."

The agents in the room soaked in her questions, and began talking amongst themselves. While this is taking place, Bob is calmly walking in the park a few miles from school, anticipating the reactions that the police will get if they have to join forces with the legendary detective, Skylar, and her partner, "If Skylar is to join up with the NPA, than I have a shot at using the handbook. Her and the investigators don't trust each other at all. She'll be determined to investigate the police for any tracings. It'll only be a matter of time before the police start resenting Skylar. It will appear that they are working together to catch me, but in reality, she will investigate the police, and the police will be investigating her."

Back at the NPA, stress was increasing throughout the room like a bubble waiting to be popped. Others moaned to themselves in frustration, while others energies could be felt in the office wanting to leave impulsively due to the tension. Two agents walked up to the chief and breathed, "We have made the choice ourselves to resign from the case, sir. We value our lives and don't want to be killed by the Kidnapper."

"You're excellent cops though! You don't know how much support we need right now," the chief said honestly not looking away from the agents' trembling eyes. Breaking the uncomfortable eye contact, he let out a sigh and waved in his hand to the direction of the exit, "You're entitled to your opinion on your life, I shouldn't have an effect on that for you. I understand; you may resign if you wish."

The agents left without a trace, marching out the door, leaving their badges on the main desk. There were two less agents in the conference room; the officers couldn't afford to lose dedicated agents anymore. They were wasting time, and time meant the lives of others that couldn't be tampered with.

Skylar sat next to her laptop and microphone awaiting a call from her partner who goes by the alias, Marg. These two have been working hand in hand with each other since the very beginning. With Skylar playing detective, and Marg operating the actions for her, they could never lose, as it seemed. A call beeped in on the screen flashing in the detective's young eyes, she answered it, "We brought the NPA to Ohio four days ago. As you requested, I have a complete list of employees and their positions. I'm able to fax it at any given time."

"Thank you, please fax me it right away." The fax machine buzzed out papers listing identities, marital status, rank, and a paragraph of bio for each of the members of the task force. "There are only 141 people who work at the NPA. I'm sure that somewhere in this list we will find our suspect," she said to herself while tapping her fingers between the stacks of pages, categorizing them carefully.

Hours passed until night crawled out of the sky, settling in to watch every movement. The chief received a phone call from agent Sam from the local prison, "Chief, I needed to report to you that another six inmates have been missing for about an hour now, the strange thing is that two of them actually did something before they vanished."

"What do you mean?"

"One drew a star on the wall of his cell with his own blood, and then the other left a note, but it doesn't seem meaningful."

"I'll send it to Marg to transfer to Skylar."

Another set of beeps came through Skylar's monitor, "What is it Marg?"

"Six more vanishings. However, two are different from the previous though."

"What do you mean by different?

"I'm sending you a copy of the letter as well as the pictures from the prison."

"In the letter, it sounds like he was afraid that the Kidnapper would show himself. It's believable that our victim might have taken some medicine in the past, but we know the Kidnapper can control the time of distortion. What if he can also determine their actions? In which case—" She spoke over her synthesized microphone, "Chief?"

"Huh?"

"We can't release details of these people for the media. As far as their concern, these are just missing people. I have reason to believe that the Kidnapper was performing some kind of test using these individuals. And if that's the case, we don't want to give him the results of this information to the public."

"Right, that makes sense. I understand."

Agent Sam blurted out, "So now he's using inmates as if for a chemistry class? That's sickening."

Josh nodded his head in agreement, "He's playing this as if it were a game; it's unforgivable."

Bob sat on his computer hacking into the police files through his brother's name and found what he was looking for, "Look at this, the results. And they're just as I expected. This handbook will work for what I have in mind. Both of them did what I intended. This will keep Skylar and the police guessing, even as I speak, she's probably trying to decipher all the clues I left for her. Especially that little note."

As Bob assumed, Skylar was processing the note that the inmate had written with a pen before he disappeared. Staring intently at the screen she thought to herself, "If the Kidnapper used these people to conduct an experiment of some sort, it means he's about to do something. The F.B.I will notice anyone acting suspiciously. But, perhaps he has a different goal in mind all together. Could the star and the note symbolize some kind of message?" In realization she gasps, "Is this it?"


	3. Bonds

Four more days have passed, and with all the anxiety and commotion this case has given the task force, only three more agents, including the chief have remained on the job. The chief looked around the room in disbelief, but satisfaction showed on his face, "Two investigators huh? Still, I'm grateful that you are willing to risk your lives to relinquish evil."

Skylar agreed from the laptop, "The fact that you've chosen to stay means you have a strong sense of justice. I trust all of you."

Confusion spread across Sam's face as he brought up a decent point, "Hold on a second, Skylar just said that she's decided to trust us now. But honestly, what reason do we have to trust her?"

A newer agent named Zak spoke up as well, "Look Skylar, all of us have agreed to put our lives in danger to bring the Kidnapper to justice. But you never have to show your face do you? I don't see how we can work with those conditions," he scoffed.

Josh stated honestly, "Skylar, if we're all going to work together on this investigation, can't we all meet in person?"

"That thought has already crossed my mind. After all, I did say I trusted all of you, didn't I?"

They nodded their heads and proceeded to leave the building, belongings in hand. Gathering at the front, they discussed their options. Zak started on his thoughts, "Why does she just decide to trust us now? She solved all those difficult cases without any help in the past. So what makes this one so different? The way Skylar's been conducting so far our odds are she's not going to show her true self. It's not like we'd ever know," throwing his arms up in frustration.

"I believe Skylar, I think we can trust her. And besides, I don't see how we could solve this case without her," Sam pointed his finger up.

Before the two continued their meaningless disagreements, Josh chimed in to stop it from continuing, "From the very beginning, she's been very redundant to the fact that she might need the help of the police to solve this case. Perhaps, we should think of it like she's been waiting for this to happen all along."

Sam furrowed his brow, "Why would she do something like that?"

"There was a number of people on the task force who distrusted Skylar before this investigation began. Classified information was leaked. So, I'm not surprised she didn't trust us."

"Oh, In other words, she was waiting for the task force to get narrowed down to only these investigators she could trust. And to do that, she needed to wade out anyone who wasn't totally committed."

Agent Zak huffed out a sigh, "Well then if we're working with her like that, I don't care; I'm leaving the task force, sorry chief." Zak walked over to the parking lot, got into his mini cooper, and drove off into the dead of night, never to be seen at the agency again.

Chief Josh and Sam prepared to depart to meet up with Skylar; using the information Marg had called them with. They were staying at a big hotel near the west side of Columbus as their temporary headquarters. Security cameras watched as they entered, got into the elevator to the top floor, and searched for the room they were residing at, room number 4202. Before they reached the room, Skylar had been gazing out the tinted window dwelling on her thoughts, "Kidnapper, it seems we're getting closer to each other in equal steps. It's only a matter of time before we collide. So be it, I'm ready to show my face. I'll make my first public appearance as Skylar. If you ever manage to find out anything about the HQ, I'm sure you will take a chance to do your vanishing act. That's what I'm counting on."

Bob has had no intentions of finding where Skylar's location was at the moment, he was mostly planning his next move and carefully thinking back on his actions to remember if he had missed anything. If he were to create a new world, he'd have to do it flawlessly without leaving any traces for Skylar to pick up on.

Skylar heard a knock on the hotel door and announced, "It's unlocked, please let yourselves in." As they entered, and looked up at her she stated, "I am Skylar."

Josh mumbled to Sam, "This is her?"

"She's nothing like I thought she would be. She's just a kid by the looks of it," he swallowed.

Presenting their badges and stating their names and ranks politely, Skylar just looked at them and snickered out loud. Both giving her a look of confusion, she explained, "If I were the Kidnapper, you'd be gone forever right now. The Kidnapper needs a name and a picture in order to commit crimes. But, I'm sure you have already figured that much out, haven't you? Please do not give out your names so carelessly. Instead, let's value our lives. Follow me to the table if you will," she paused and instructed, "Please turn off your cell phones, handhelds, and any other communication devices and leave on that table right there."

Sam muttered to himself, "I know she's been cautious from the beginning, but I can't tell if she fully trusts us or not."

Although Skylar happened to overhear his words, "No, I just find it distracting, I can't stand it when people's cell phones are ringing during a conversation." As they sat comfortably on the chairs and couch surrounding the main table, she began off by saying, "Let me start off by saying nobody takes notes that is said in any of these meetings. That means when you leave the "headquarters" any information will be committed to memory." Reaching over beside her, Skylar reveals a plastic carton of frozen yogurt, and begins eating it during the meeting.

Agent Sam spoke up, "Excuse me, Skylar? If we know that he needs a name and a picture of some kind, could we not broadcast the criminals on the news?"

"If we do that, we'll only be putting the general public in danger," she answered between bites.

"Why?"

"The Kidnapper is childish and hates to lose."

"Just by what do you mean?"

She swallowed, "Well I'm also childish and hate to lose. That's how I know."

"Skylar, would you mind being more specific?" Josh asked.

"Early on in the investigation, I tried to provoke the Kidnapper with that broadcast. Until then, we thought that he would only go after criminals. But as we all witnessed, he didn't hesitate on making a move. Also, as soon as I said he was in the Columbus region, he made sure his next people came from within Ohio. As to say, "And what are you going to do about it?" He's met each of my challenges head on; he's never missed an opportunity to return the favor. Now, what do you think would happen if we tried to use media restrictions to hide criminals from someone like that?"

Sam started, "Well I guess-"

"If you choose to with hold the names of criminals; He's probably thinking, "I'm holding the whole world hostage, so who's it going to be?" That's exactly how the Kidnapper thinks. Let's look at another way we could use the media to draw him out," she answered diligently.

"But how?"

Skylar sighed, "How about something like this, "Missing of F.B.I agents infiltrate the U.S, latest disappearances are hanging over the IPC. Nations agreed to send 1500 investigators to Ohio." For the Kidnapper, this will be beyond with what he faces with the F.B.I. He'll see everyone as a potential threat. Psychologically, he'll start to feel cornered and that will cause him to take some kind of drastic action."

Chief Josh commented, "That's interesting, it just might work."

"Well, before we all celebrate, I'll fill you in on the rest of my thoughts on this case. The Kidnapper works alone. He had access to all of our classified information."

"What evidence do you have that he's working alone?"

Skylar took another bite, "We know he needs an identity to make a vanishing occur. And to some extent, he can control the time and actions before this happens. We already know that much. Please keep that in mind, and listen carefully to what I'm going to say next."

Setting down her frozen yogurt, she visually draws pictures on a notepad with a pen explaining her thought process to the agents, "Six days before Christmas, twelve agents enter Ohio. The 22nd, he conducts experiments on some inmates. In other words, in only two days the Kidnapper became aware of the F.B.I's presence and obviously felt threatened. He was at a disadvantage. On the 27th, during this period at least twenty-five individuals go missing. But, these were different. Legally speaking, they were innocent."

"Hmm, that's true."

"What this indicates is that he can manipulate them, so we couldn't tell who the decoys were. He waited a week so that the N.P.A could investigate other suspects. I suspect that he has to be one of the people being investigated by the N.P.A in the 20th and the 22nd. In fact, I have no doubt."

Sam chimed in excitedly, "Amazing! With this information, we'll be able to cover a lot of ground!"

Skylar picked up her snack again, "So do any of you guys have any questions?"

"Actually, I have one pertaining to how you hate to lose. Does the fact that you've shown your face to us, are you admitting defeat to the Kidnapper?" Josh asked.

"That's right. I have lost the battle, but I'm not going to lose the war. This is the first I've ever put my life on the line. Justice will prevail no matter what."

Sam smiled, "I like the sound of that."

With his question answered, Josh thought to himself, "_Well I had my doubts at first, but this girl is absolutely Skylar."_

Lost in her thoughts again Skylar concluded, _"Things are going well, just one clue. This scenario could cost me my life."_


	4. Time Is Dead

The next morning came sooner than expected, but the agents and Skylar were ready to tackle the day without any hesitation, "I apologize for questioning both of you out of earshot. I'm afraid I had no other choice."

Josh wondered, "Skylar, how can you be sure that we are both innocent?"

"Well to be honest, through the beginning I set up a number of traps that would determine the truth. But, after speaking with you I don't feel the need." Her phone rings, receiving a text from her partner, "Marg is on her way."

A few moments later, Marg came in through the door and into the living area, wearing a nice, expensive looking comfortable suit. Complete with a work tie, and a sharp-witted face, she looked like she could tackle the world if she wanted too.

"Good morning gentleman, it's an honor to meet you," she flashed a friendly smile and shook their hands.

"Um, what about your usual outfit? The one that you wear at the NPA and international meetings?" Sam inquired.

"If I did that, I would be announcing to the world that I am Marg. That's all it takes to give away the headquarters and locations of our whereabouts."

"Oh I see."

"I would never show my face to any of you, the fact that I'm standing right here is proof that Skylar trusts you."

"Now that you mention it, I do feel honored. Ha-ha."

Skylar spoke up, "Could you please pass out the items I asked you to bring?"

"Certainly. These are your new police badges for this case," Marg explained while handing them out.

"Why would we need to use fake ID's?" Sam questioned.

Skylar sighed and shook her head, "As you know the Kidnapper mostly requires a name to do his biddings. We will confront him with that in mind. I think it should be obvious why. Remember, anytime you're in a situation where you have to give your name out to a stranger, make sure to use the name from you cover ID. Understood?"

They both nodded and replaced their old ID's with their new ones. The detective also added, "Right, and be careful not to take them out while in the presence of other police officers. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that could cause problems for all of us."

Little they did know; Bob was now preparing his handbook to get rid of the FBI director exactly at 3:06 PM while he was stationed at a conference meeting about the work of the police working together. The police of course were reluctant, even at this severity.

A thought crossed Skylar's mind as she gazed out the window, seeming to concentrate on the small snow flurries dancing in the wind, "Who's working at police station right now?"

"No one currently," Josh answered honestly.

"That's not good, we need someone there working shifts at least. Could you please contact the local police station and asked if any of them are willing to volunteer?"

The chief nodded, and walked into the other room, and dialed up the number, talking in a hushed voice so he wouldn't disturb the meeting. Skylar shifted in her chair and thought to herself, _"I wonder if Marg and I "befriend" the Kidnapper if he will admit who he really is and how he does his crimes. Would that be possible? Hmm, maybe like only 8%."_ Then she spoke out loud, "Marg, I have a request that I would like you to verify; What if I go to the University and see if the suspect is there? I know I'll have to take that one assessment, but that won't be a problem, and I'll have my phone with me at all times."

"I don't see why not. It's better than nothing right? I'll be able to drive you to the university in the morning if that's okay," she responded.

Early afternoon came by in a breeze, shining down at the large building to where all the students would be taking the entrance exams. The students piled in the testing room, prepared themselves by popping a few mints in their mouths, or twirling their pencils in their hands to relax their minds. Before about ten minutes in the exam, the teacher pointed, "You there! Student number fifty-six, please sit properly in your chair."

Skylar looked up at the student, and tried to switch from her normal position to proper, but couldn't pull herself to do so. All the time, she sat with leg up, while resting her head on her left knee, why should it be different now? The teacher dismissed what he said, and just forgot all about it, since she wasn't changing her sitting, not even a move. Skylar happened to look in front of her, and two rows in ahead of her, she made eye contact with Bob. The stare lasted for a few seconds, but it seemed like a minute or two. The tension between the two was admirable. Bob knew she wasn't normal, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what she was thinking. Her eyes were empty with emotion; there were no blind spots that he could see. This girl was a strange one at that, a sweat drop dripped from his forehead and onto his hand. He could feel his temperature rise, because of his nerves getting to him. Was she here as a spy?

An hour passed, and the exams were turned in for the scores to be graded. All one thousand students piled into the assembly room, anxiously waiting for the representatives to be announced. The director came up to the stage and spoke through the microphone, "Now we have freshman representative, Bob, and freshman representative, Raven."

As Bob began his half of the speech, mutters and conversation were swarmed through the crowd about these particular students, "These students scored highest on the test to give the speech, but she's just a kid!"

Another one answered, "Those two are polar opposites!"

As the audience clapped and congratulated them, Skylar purposely walked behind Bob and said in a voice so hushed that he would be the only to hear it, "Bob, your brother is Chief Josh I presume? You must have a strong sense of justice then."

Knowing that this was the same girl from before he thought to himself, _"What the heck? How did she know about my brother?"_

She continued, "You're planning to join the police agency when you graduate. I'm impressed by your abilities and your sense of justice. If you promise not to tell anyone one this, I have important information pertaining to the Kidnapper case."

_"Where is all this coming from? And who is she?"_ He took a breath, "I won't tell anyone, what is it?"

As they sat down next to each other, she looked him in the eyes and calmly said, "I wanted to tell you that I'm Skylar."

Time seem to stop between the two representatives, as if you could hear the minute hand ticking from a watch, slowly, and loudly, one click after the next. Bob took an internal breath to calm his heart rate down, _"What? There's no way, what's she talking about? She would never admit to it. I thought this girl was a bit strange, but this isn't good. I have to act…"_ He looked at her eyes, answering sincerely, "If you are who you say you are, than I have nothing but your respect and admiration."

"Thank you. The reason I chose to reveal myself is because I think you could be of some help of us on the case." Statistics crossed her mind, _"Bob, the likelihood that you're the Kidnapper is just under 5%. Even so, something tells me that I'm not wrong suspecting you."_Skylar looked ahead and listened intently on what the director was now presenting, leaving a small, hidden smirk on her face.

Bob's thoughts bounced around in his head, _"If she's really Skylar, no even if she isn't, I can't do anything. If what she says is true, it probably means she's already shown her face to my brother. What now? If she vanishes right after this, it would only confirm their suspicions. I know that Raven is an absurd alias, but it still complicates things. Is she really Skylar? Does she already suspect me? I need to clear my mind." _

Outside the auditorium, Skylar and Bob met each other at the road and talked before Skylar departed. "Hey, um, nice meeting you," she said shyly.

"No the pleasure was all mine," Bob answered genuinely with a smile, shaking her hand.

As Marg pulled the car up and opened the passenger door for her, she hopped inside, rolling down the window, "Well, I'm sure I'll see you on campus then."

"Yah, take care you two, see you later," he waved goodbye, then walked over to his car with a grim look on his face, _"I need to find a way to make them vanish as soon as I can."_

After getting a nice sleep at his apartment, Bob and Josh departed ways. At the University, Bob met up with Skylar at the entrance to the tennis courts, "I have to admit Skylar, I've never would've thought that you pick a game of tennis as a way of getting to know to each other."

"Is that a problem?"

"Not at all, but when you asked, did you know how good I was?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Yes, I'll be fine though. I was the American Junior Champion. Well, since it's our first match, why don't we play a single set? First one to six?"

"That's fine by me," he answered as they took their positions on the court.

Skylar was doing this for a reason as a way of testing the young student, _"This is just a friendly game of tennis, nothing more. Ha-ha, I know the Kidnapper hates to lose so…I'll take my chances." _

As the competitors volley back and forth, they get into each other's thoughts immediately. Perspiration started to show, and veins throbbed, as Bob processed, _"Will she think that I'm the Kidnapper if I go for the win? It could work against me if I lose."_

_"I can see your wheels turning, because I'm already inside your head!" _

_"There's no way that this will resolve a friendship between us, more like a rivalry!" _

_"However, you'll need to trust me first, and that I will have to show what I know about the Kidnapper!" _Skylar yelled in her head.

_"It only makes sense that I would want proof that you are Skylar!" _

_"So the only thing you want from me is—" _Bob's thoughts broke as the ball zoomed past the net like a missile.

_"Some kind of conformation from a third party that about who you truly are!"_

_"Which means—" _Skylar's thoughts also snapped as the target whizzed past her racket in a blur of motion, soon slamming into the fence.

_"We'll have to go to task force headquarters!" _After Bob caught his breath he walked to Skylar and said, "Game set looks like I won. That was fun. I'm feeling kind of thirsty, plus there's something I wanted to ask you. Do you want to see the café?"

"You humored me with the tennis match; the least I can do is answer some of your questions. There's something I must tell you though," Skylar told Bob scratching the back of her head.

"What's that?"

"I suspect you of being the Kidnapper."

"Ha-ha you think I'm the Kidnapper?"

They started towards the café, "Well when I say I suspect you, it's only an 11% possibility. It would be nice if you could help us with the case."

Bob opened the door for Skylar, and she stepped inside, walking to the booth in the corner of the café, so they could talk in privacy. She sat in her normal position, while Bob sat across from her waiting for her to start the discussion. She opened her eyes from her thoughts, "I wanted to ask you about something," Skylar pulled out a piece of paper from her jean pockets, "This letter was sent to us by the Kidnapper. You can take as long as you want; I want to hear your thoughts."

_"There are print numbers on the back, besides it says, Skylar, did you know that I like apples? I'd only look more suspicious if I came up with it that way. But, this isn't enough to prove that I'm the Kidnapper."_ Bob put his head back up and looked in Skylar's eyes, "I think he wrote this containing a message to you, almost as if he's mocking his enemy. If you rearrange them with the print numbers, you get, 'Skylar, do you know that I like apples?'"

"That is incorrect. The thing is, there are actually four note cards," Skylar slipped out the forth from her opposite pocket and placed it on the table.

"My deduction was perfect with three! " _"Man, she just wanted to see what my reaction was, since I know that the fourth card is a fake! I'll be playing right into her hands."_ He looked back at the cards and calmly said, "Well, you got me there, I didn't think of that."

Skylar nodded her head in response, then asked the student, "If you were me, faced with someone who might be the Kidnapper, how would you go about on establishing their innocence or guilt?"

"I would probably try to get them to say something that they only would say. Kind of like you're doing now," he smirked.

She smirked in return, "I'm impressed; you'll make a fine agent."

"If I cooperate with you, there's a chance that I will make the investigation go forward. And if I were the Kidnapper, I would reveal myself. At this point, neither of us can prove that we aren't working with him. However if you're in fact Skylar, I don't imagine it being hard to prove it to me. If my brother was to confirm your identity, I would feel more compelled to work on the case with you," Bob stated.

_"You sure do talk a lot. Now it's 27% that you're the Kidnapper."_ The detective replied while folding her hands on the table, "I don't remember saying that you couldn't visit someone from headquarters to find out if I'm saying the truth or not. I'm currently working alongside your brother as well as one other agent. Now, if I understand you correctly, you will help us with the investigation? Am I safe to make that assumption?"

"Yes you are, I'll do it."


	5. Stalked

Bob and Skylar headed back to the new headquarters, now stationed in the city. The building was high as a skyscraper, but to access it, you needed to have a certified pass, retina scan, and when you enter the building, a number of cameras will be watching you until you meet the control room. All in all, the task force kept wondering how Skylar and Marg had this much money to build this extravagant piece in record time. They kept their questions to themselves though; knowing the duo would keep it confidential.

As soon as the whole team sat down, Skylar explained what they've discovered so far, "Now that you have joined us Bob, I might as well fill you in on what we have so far, so you don't point out anything that we've already found. We have uncovered much evidence that leads us to believe that there may be a decoy sent out by the Kidnapper to steer our findings off course. The reason why I have faith in this assumption is due to the fact that we've received videos and pages with writing suggesting that there may be an imposter to this case, or an ally to the enemy. In other words, an idiot or a genius."

The chief piped in, "This is true. The pages have various codes that Skylar has solved and deciphered herself. One of the notes reads _'I will make the CEO of the TV broadcast Fox News vanish at exactly four o' clock this evening. I will show you my abilities.'_ We have two hours from now, until that happens on live television," he exhaled a sigh.

"When was the first time you received something like this?" the student asked.

Shuffling through the notes, Agent Sam replied, "Uh, well if you look here the date reads the 17th of January, but we got it the following day."

Bob took the papers from Sam and flipped through them, carefully choosing his words to answer with, "These messages are strange. It doesn't seem like something the Kidnapper would do. He's usually more direct in his actions, except for those notecards you showed me earlier Skylar. This guy is acting without thinking through his plans."

"Correct. I thought you might make the same conclusion I did. When Marg searched for fingerprints or any source of DNA, she didn't uncover any. This imposter is very careful and diligent with what he does that it's almost admirable. When we contacted the post offices, they couldn't trace to any source that these items came from. I assume that that must mean he personally delivered them, or a partner did so for him," Skylar shared while stretching her arms and pulling one leg up to her chest.

"What about the security cameras?"

"No good with that either, I played back every tape that was recorded in the hotel for two nights in a row, and none of us saw anything out of the ordinary. We even did the liberty of zooming in on the guests to see what they were carrying with them."

"I have a suggestion Skylar," Josh commented. She nodded her head for him to continue, "What if we sent a message back to the sender? I realize that the packages don't have a return address on them, that's a given, but what if we placed our reply in the mailbox, do you think it would somehow get to him?"

Skylar pondered on the idea for a moment and considered it, "That's a good idea, though I'm not really sure the employees would take it to the outgoing box, if it didn't have address on it. However, what if the imposter is waiting for a response? As if he wants to be contacted?"

"Then that's a perfect idea, isn't it? If it doesn't work, then we'll just get our message back and we'll examine it for any clues," Bob answered.

"Alright the plan's settled then. We'll make a message and send it in for a response. The one who writes the message though should be Bob. Only due to the fact, that he accepted to be on this case, and I couldn't think of anyone better to carry on this task," the prodigy detective gave the smallest smirk, so only Bob would notice it.

_"I know she suspects me, but how far is she going to go? I just have to calmly follow her orders and not let anything slip up. If I do, then there's only one answer, I have to get her out of my way before she can do anything."_ That's fine; I accept on doing my part of this case, I'm here anyways," he shrugged.

Skylar reached over to the opposite desk, "Excellent, here's a piece of paper and a pen to get you started. You may say what you believe the Kidnapper would think in this situation, and I'll review it later whenever you're done."

Bob's nerves had gone up again, because Skylar obviously planned for him to take on this position, to make the Kidnapper come running out of hiding like a little kid. She just wants to see if he would play the role well, this would only confirm her suspicions even more. He calmed himself down, picked his words carefully, and took about a half hour taking his time to cover every point. As he finished, he stretched his hands and rushed over to turn the paper into Skylar, "Here Skylar, I'm finished. See what you think."

She read it over, analyzing every word and sentence he wrote with confidence, "Actually this seems pretty decent, except please leave out the part about making me vanish. We are trying to detain the Kidnapper before that happens, remember?"

"Oh ha-ha sorry, I guess I got too much into the role," he let out a chuckle while scratching the back of his head.

"Very well. Marg if you would be so kind, please send this to the nearest post office whenever you get the chance. Also, I would like to have the incoming mail to be checked daily until we receive our reply," Skylar ordered.

Marg nodded her head and smiled, "You can trust that I will do so Skylar."

Now she turned to her suspect, "Bob, I'll have your brother bring you over whenever and if we receive a reply, for we don't know how long it will be. I won't be at the university for a few days, so no need to worry about anything over here at headquarters."

"Understood," as soon as Bob headed out of the building he began to think of his plan, _"Now I have to be extra careful since this fool who calls himself the Kidnapper sent a message disclosing a silly request. What is this guy thinking anyway? Did he just send that letter as a threat? Or something more like wanting to contact the real Kidnapper to leak information? I have to make even more people vanish, and also develop a plan for when Skylar and my brother start tracing clues back to me. Which means that I'll somehow have to sneak it into the mailbox without Marg or any of the agents laying eyes on it. Tomorrow I'll stop by after class during my lunch break and carry out my plan. You won't beat me to him Skylar…"_

The next day was gloomy, only very few rays of sun shined. Josh paged his brother to come over as soon as possible, after his studies that lasted all morning. He reported that Skylar wanted to have everyone over there before the broadcast would be starting, just to hear their thoughts regarding how many police officers still say they work under them for the Kidnapper case. A great majority had abandoned the case because they were afraid to put their lives on the line, especially with the Kidnapper himself.

As they were reviewing the employee bios, Marg rushed into the room, "The broadcast is starting!"

"What? I thought you said it started four in the afternoon! It's only half past two!" Sam exclaimed as they got in position in front of the large screens.

Flipping to the proper channel, as Marg had said, the news was on and streaming on the bottom was an urgent message about the Kidnapper, "We interrupt this broadcast to bring an important announcement from the Kidnapper himself!"

The tape played, obviously the voice was mixed, "Citizens of the world, I am the Kidnapper. If anyone tries to stop this message or interfere with it, I will not hesitate to kill you. I'm speaking to all of you due to that fact that I'm going to make a particular person vanish to prove to you that I am indeed the Kidnapper. In exactly thirty seconds from now, the CEO of Fox News will not be with us anymore, turn to channel five if you wish to see proof."

Skylar shouted and instructed, "Turn to channel five!"

As expected the CEO of Fox News was nowhere to be found. Fellow anchormen were screaming and hysterical, demanding if someone got it on camera. It was recorded, and shown in front of tons of people's eyes to witness the paranormal power. The Kidnapper concluded with his speech, "As you can see, I have demonstrated my powers to you. I want to prove to you that I am real and can make anyone gone when I want too, or in other words, whom I think has a purpose to be gone from this planet, forever. I always know where and who you are. Signing out."

The team was dumbstruck. Josh broke the silence, "He just wanted to brag about his powers?"

Skylar put the screen on mute, "It appears so chief. That's exactly the kind of actions I expected he'd take, considering his personality. This now confirms my suspicions of this not being the Kidnapper who he says he is. I believe he's taking orders from the real one in order to trip us up, because he's too childish to come out and show himself for a direct confrontation. He hates losing, as do I."

Bob shook his head to snap him out of his trance, "Should we still the reply to his message though? It seems kind of useless if that's all he wanted to say."

"You're right, but I assume that he will give us a direct response anyway we go about this situation. His ultimate goal with his broadcast was to contact the true Kidnapper and tell him he was an ally, and that he was not alone in this act of supposedly murdering people, since the bodies are gone with no clues. Everyone this meeting is dismissed, and I will now think about what our next move will be with the agents and Marg. Bob, would you like an escort back to your apartment?" Skylar asked politely.

He got up, stretched his back, and answered with a small smile on his face, "No thanks; I'm good. Well I guess I'll see you tomorrow if we have a reply," he said his goodbyes, yawned and headed off back to the apartment.

Skylar turned towards Josh, "Chief, I still suspect your brother of being the Kidnapper, it's about 23% now to be exact. I would advise you to keep watch on him because his reasoning abilities are almost as good as mine, that is not something we can take lightly if he is in fact, the enemy here. Being your brother, I know it may hard to grasp that order, but let's just say that it would the best for all of us here stationed at the headquarters."

He swallowed and nodded, "Right, I understand. I'll do my best, even though it will be difficult for me. You have my word Skylar."

The reason why Bob didn't have Marg escort him back to his apartment is because he was going to go ahead and start the first phase of his plan to contact this unknown person who calls himself the Kidnapper, _"Now if I keep watch on where the security cameras are pointing, I'm confident enough that I can place this letter in the bin, without Skylar watching me. I'm wearing my old jacket from three years ago over a more recent one that Josh knows about, that way he won't be able to tell it's me if I have my back turned to the camera. It's going according to plan so far." _Bob opened the post office door and was about to exit before he looked the man who helped in the eyes and thanked him for helping.

The mail collector replied, "Have a nice day. You're a student aren't you? Why are you out of school?"

Bob thought it was a little odd that he questioned but answered, "Oh I'm on my lunch break, and my grandmother wanted to deliver a letter for her today because she has problems with her back. You don't have to worry about my academics sir," he chuckled a little bit.

The man regained his composure, "I'm sure you have enough problems to deal with. Anyway, thank you for stopping by," he turned around and placed the mail in his messenger bag. _"That was him, that was the Kidnapper, I'd knew he'd be here! I already know from research that his younger brother is the chief of the NPA; he must have valuable information pertaining to his case. And now, I have a message from him, how perfect. I'll make sure to follow his orders as planned, for I have the same goal as him," _he smiled to himself.

Bob was now talking to himself out loud for there were no people to be seen on the streets due to the cold whether brewing in, "Now I just have to wait for those specific instructions he read that I wrote out for him: If zero through five people go missing in the next week, stay in the shadows and don't let the police know where you're at. Six to ten people go missing than that stands for him to go into action of our plan which is to create a scene of a decoy sending a letter back to the task force stating he would make an appearance and showing them how he does vanishings in trade for all the evidence they've uncovered so far, so they won't catch the real imposter posing as the Kidnapper. That whole plan equals to the team finding a fake handbook with non-existent instructions written into the front and back flaps. Of course the only reason I'm doing this is to have Skylar decipher wrong assumptions, but while having the clue that the Kidnapper uses a handbook to do his acts. And in the end, I'll find out Skylar's identity and make her vanish with the rest of the task force."


	6. Pursuit

Two days had passed and the team was still waiting for a reply. They continued going over the new missing people reports, done by the Kidnapper, by recording information on the families and documenting them with the rest. Sam spoke up while holding multiple papers at once, "Skylar, last week there was a total of twelve vanishings, and last night we filed a report for three more; the last three were a mother, father, and their only child, linked to a bus hijacking two weeks before. Apparently the family wanted to rob the passengers of their belongings and pawn them at a shop for money," he then accidently dropped the pile and began resorting it on the floor.

Skylar sighed, "At this rate we can't believe what the local television broadcasts say about the people who disappear, we can only rely on evidence. The media will tell false stories from time to time on the Kidnapper's acts if it gets their ratings up. However, keep this in our file to see if we can backtrack any information on this family for later. Right now, we're waiting for a reply, Marg is heading back from the office now; her arrival will be any minute with Bob accompanying her."

"If we do in fact here back from the imposter, are you going to hear my brother's thoughts on the note too?" Josh questioned as he sipped his cup of coffee.

Skylar made eye contact with the chief, "Correct, I already planned on doing so to test my suspicion on him. _"If he has the same answer we have as a group, then it will only confirm my suspicions. I will keep this to myself though, as it will draw attention towards him, and that's the last thing the Kidnapper would want."_ From the camera placed outside, Skylar could Marg's car pull up and check in with Bob in the passenger seat, "They're here, prepare yourselves."

Marg looked eager to report the good news to the team, "Skylar, we've received a reply, there's an address signed for the NPA," she handed her the letter.

Skylar looked and scanned it over multiple times very quickly, than came to a conclusion," Seems like he wants us to keep guessing without enough back-up evidence. That's what he wants us to think right now, and start fretting over it. However, I'm not scared or intimidated one bit by this particular person, nor the Kidnapper himself. I may be risking my life, but that's not as important as of right now. Bob, could you please read this and tell me your opinion?"

She handed the papers over to him. Bob examined and analyzed them carefully, "He states that 'if he does not receive the evidence and or progress that we've made, that he will make an appearance and will infiltrate the NPA in search of Skylar to get her out of his way, as well as the rest of the task force and anyone related to them. His act will take action tomorrow at five o' clock in the afternoon.' He wants us to fall right into his hands, by showing our faces and eliminating all of us, that's obvious, but the real goal here is to make direct contact with the Kidnapper and join forces with him."

"Yes, you are correct, I'm not surprised, I expect you to figure that out since you're the one who wrote the letter," she smirked again to herself, "However, since I still suspect you Bob, you will be with Marg and I when we meet this person face to face. I have a plan already set up in my head: We will have Sam post as a witness to how the Kidnapper commits his crimes on live TV, the imposter will pose this as a threat and would want to eliminate anything in his way. That is when the staff of Fox News will move in and replace Sam and the commentator with dummies, and as soon as the perpetrator moves in, Chief Josh will tail him at a safe distance in his car with tinted windows. Thus, cornering him and having the police squad move in and apprehend him."

Bob's eyes lit up a little bit too much for Skylar's tastes, "That's a brilliant idea Skylar, now at this rate we'll not only catch him, we'll figure how the Kidnapper does his vanishings!"

"I do also, and Sam? Will you be willing to play the act of the target?"

Sam gave a determined look in his eyes and fixed his tie, "Even though I would be risking my life, if it means solving the case, I'll do anything."

"Good, everyone we will meet tomorrow three hours before and prepare ourselves. Please check in and hand over any necessary supplies that you think we should have with us, except the police masks of course. Marg has volunteered to scan them over, before we use them," she grazed her hand over in the direction of Marg while she was listening intently and excused herself before leaving the room with her work phone in hand that had vibrated in her pocket.

Bob's thoughts had been dominating his mind during the plan was set up and confirmed with everyone, _"Just as I expected from Skylar. She'll fall right into the trap of the imposter not really being my unknown ally with that little note I sent to him. If this all goes well, you'll have a fake handbook, and ready to meet your demise."_

The evening moon came earlier than expected, ready to shine brightly and watch every move that the task force makes to catch the imposter. Skylar, Marg, and Bob were surveying the set-up broadcast, and awaiting the time where the capture would begin. The chief and Sam were over at the television station watching the plan commerce. The commentator spoke into the microphone; "We are back ladies and gentleman with a special show with our witness answering questions to hidden information about the Kidnapper! We have put these screens up for safety purposes, for our faces not to be shown. Are you sure mister that you have clues pertaining to these criminal acts?"

"Yes, I have lots of evidence sir. For example, I was friend's with the family who recently went missing, and they told me they were going to resign from their specific jobs, because they felt as though the Kidnapper was watching them from afar. The next thing you know, they end up vanishing!" Agent Sam purposefully knocked over the screen, so the cameras could have only seen a portion of his face. The staff immediately rushed over and helped put the screen back up, backing away from where the show was taken place.

Meanwhile at the same time this broadcast was taking place. Michael or in this case, the imposter Kidnapper was watching intently. Debating in his mind on what to do next he made a decision, "That must be one of the guys I have to eliminate before I catch Skylar! I have to go there now, before it's too late!" He paged in onto his headset to another person, "You know what to do, I'll guide you in the direction your going by your earpiece, go now, and don't make a move unless I tell you too!" The person he'd given orders too was driving like a mad man to the TV station as if his life was on the line, and it was, to be truthful.

The car the decoy was driving had a portable television wired into it, so he could keep an eye on this specific show. The commentator continued, "The screen falling over might have been startling for you now, wasn't it? Would you like to stop the show for safety?"

Agent Sam responded firmly, "I'm well aware of the danger I'm in now, I'm doing this interview for the fate of mankind. I'm willing to do whatever it takes, let's keep continuing please. I debated whether or not I should share this information publicly, but I told myself it was the right thing to do."

"We'll be right back after a special from this company, then we'll announce the spectacular news folks!" The show cut to a line of commercials until the news was about to be broken out to hear by public ears.

Skylar cut into her microphone connecting to Josh, "Chief, there was a white mustang that just pulled out of a highway heading for the station right now at full speed, please keep your eye on it!"

"I'll do whatever it takes," he answered confidently. Pulling out of a ditch, the chief sped up towards the car at a safe distance, but still tailing him pretty good. Thankfully, the other vehicles obeyed the rules and kept out of their way to make sure no one else got hurt in this action-packed heist. Josh hesitated on putting his sirens on or not, considering that it might make the imposter take drastic measures in his driving. That could cost more people's lives.

"Damn, this guy's right on my tail, he must be working for the task force, as expected. My life will be spared if I do what he wants though; I just have to confuse him a little," the decoy decided to turn into the local police station that was working on the Kidnapper case. The strange thing was that it seemed no one has worked there for quite a bit of time because it almost seem deserted by the looks of it.

Skylar buzzed in on her headset again, "Chief! Is he pulling into the police station?"

Josh kept his eyes on him, even as the criminal ran into the building, "Yes, according to your plan. I'm pulling into out of view at the moment, so I'll be able to tail him again when he returns."

"Good, now what we will know is how the Kidnapper does his wishes. What he doesn't know is that the resume he's going for to eliminate Sam is actually a fake one that we hid in the files yesterday. Plus we installed cameras."

Bob switched positions in his seat, "You're always one step ahead of them aren't you, Skylar? _"Well, not for long, soon you'll be mine."_

Mr. Decoy tried a few times to locate where the file cabinets where in the building, but so got a hold of them. He managed to break the lock, by smashing his foot against the handle, breaking it into pieces. Flipping through the pages he laid eyes on what he was searching for, "Here it is! Now I have to write his name down," he took out a pen from his pocket and scribbled his name down in black ink, "There now he should be gone by the time I get over to the station."

As the trio watched closely on the culprit's actions through the cameras placed in the helicopter, Bob thought out loud, "Why did he write his name down? In case he forgot it?"

Marg leaned in, "He probably has short-term memory, he's not careful with his actions anyway…"

_"There's something else going on here." _Skylar closed her eyes and announced over the microphone, "Get the men into ready position with their helmets and assume he'll be able to make you disappear within the blink of an eye! Keep your distance and follow him!"

Bob clicked over his headset as well, "Are ready to apprehend him Josh?"

"Yes I am; I don't need my brother to tell me what to do. But I'm sure you already know that by now, eh?" Just as the moment he clicked out of his headset, the decoy ran onto the news set as quick as a bullet. The chief rose up from his hiding spot and raised his gun in defense, "Give it up! We have you surrounded; you're not getting away!"

"You guys have it all wrong sir, I'm just here for a meeting," the decoy swiftly removed his gun from his pants pocket and aimed it at the chief, sending a shot through the air, so fast you had hardly any time to comprehend what was going on. As soon as his shot had been fired, he ran like the coward he was back to his mustang, starting the engine with so much adrenaline in his veins.

"Josh! Are you okay?" Bob yelled while paging his brother.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me, reinforcements are here. He pulled out a gun and nicked me on the shoulder, please do whatever you can with Marg and Skylar to catch him," he breathed as he calmed himself down.

Skylar turned around in her seat as she flicked the power on the helicopter, "Are you ready Marg? We have no choice, but to join in the pursuit now."

"I was born ready for this," she replied with a smile while loading her gun, and putting her helmet on for safety. Marg bravely stood at the edge of the step, ready in position to interfere if need be.

Police cars could be heard from the distance, as well the flashing red and blue lights that could be seen from afar. "Wow, even the police are joining in!" Bob commented being surprised, _"Just a little bit longer, almost there."_

The decoy working for Michael reflexively made a few turns and said out loud to himself, "Now, they have me cornered with police cars and a helicopter, I've got nowhere to go now," he wiped a bead of sweat dripping from his forehead.

Little did he know that Marg had a few moves up her sleeve; she locked in on the car with her police rifle and clicked the trigger as quick as you could blink. An echo of burning tire could be heard from a mile away at the impact one small bullet had on tires going over sixty miles per hour. The back right tire blew out, and thus the mustang began to spin in circles. "Target shot!"

Michael chimed into the earpiece the decoy had been given as he was hastily trying to control the wheel, "Do everything I say, and you'll live to see another day: Hesitate to step out of the car, and eventually give in and surrender to the police, I'll send another decoy in with the handbook to distract and rescue you…"

Skylar turned back to face Marg once again, "Marg, if he makes a move, you know what to do."

"Affirmative."

"You need to raise your hands and exit the vehicle! You are under arrest! Keep your back towards us!" the chief yelled at the mysterious man.

Skylar turned her headset on for her synthesized voice to be transferred over to a headset that the chief had now put on him, "We know that you've been making people vanish and posing as the Kidnapper or an ally. I'll do whatever it takes to make you answer us. You might as well give up and tell us how you commit the crimes you have done to innocent people."

After a few short breaths, he finally answered, "Look in my black bag in the passenger seat."

The chief moved in and swiped the bag, carefully opening it to reveal its contents, grabbing the handbook in the process, "There seems to be some type of book that he is hiding. Nothing is unusual about it, except there are rules written, no somehow formed into the notebook. We will confiscate the mysterious weapon and analyze it," he walks over to the chopper and gently places in it Skylar's hands for her to look at.

"This is it? A notebook? How can such a thing be magically enhanced to carry out evil deeds for humans?" she was confused at even the thought of it.

Bob leaned over and looked at the handbook, "Are those the names and sketches of people who have recently vanished?"

She nodded, "Yes, all of them are in here, every single one of them. There are rules in here too? It must be that you create a picture of the victim and write their name down. Where on earth did this thing come from?"

The student turned over in his seat so that his back was somewhat away from Skylar, and so see could the decoy and the police surrounding him at a good angle, _"Now all I have to do is take the piece of handbook I've hidden in my jacket and write the decoy's name, since I already know his identity, that the ally of the Kidnapper sent me by a tiny note, then I'll discard of both of them,"_ He pulls out a miniature pen and gingerly writes the culprit's name down, _"A few more moments…"_

Suddenly, there was a large gasp and commotion from the officers until the chief yelled in surprise, "T—The perpetrator has collapsed!" He jumps back, being shocked at what he witnesses next, "He's gone! No trace of him! Skylar and Marg, he's vanished!"

The detective watched their actions modestly, _"So it is true, but how can that happen? Marg and I had our eyes on him and Bob for the whole time that happened… Then that means that there are two books out there. Bob, couldn't have done something as stupid as making the man vanish, would he? Of course, if he is the Kidnapper, he would do anything to get to me, that's a given," _she folded her knees up to her chest, "The evidence has been taken into our hands, and the criminal is gone, there is nothing more than we can do now except head back to the headquarters and run tests on this weapon."


	7. All Is Lost

"Skylar, you're saying with what has happened with the imposter that there must be two handbooks?" Bob asked while taking his seat at the table.

"It's possible, but I'm fully confident on that statement, only because anyone who knows of this supernatural handbook, you can do anything you wish by simply tearing off a piece, as you would with a normal notebook," she took a big bite out of her frozen yogurt, _"Yes, that means I'm still zoning in on you, and I'm going to settle things in the end…"_

"Anyone? You mean the whole Columbus region now?" the chief asked.

Swallowing the cold treat, she looked him in the eyes and spoke, "No, I specifically mean the people who know of this case and were following every step of the way, whether behind our backs or among the police force. They're the only ones who were with us during our speed chase."

Sam held a glance at Skylar, "What are you implying? That we can't trust anyone with us now?"

"Not at all, I just think that we need some time to recuperate on what just happened, it was indeed tragic. However, our evidence and theories have not been diminished, so don't assume we have to start over, it's actually perfect that this turned out like it did."

"Please explain what you're thinking."

"Marg and I have been backing up everything in the computers and files, thus have gone over what we have and compared it to the unfortunate ending to our plan. I've been dwelling on it for some time now, and I believe that that was not the person who sent us the recordings. All in all, that was some sort of decoy that died."

Bob glared a little at her deductive abilities, but not so much that the others would obviously notice it, "_Damn it, she caught right on to the plan, I knew she would. However, now that she knows about the handbook and read the fake instructions, she'll have false accusations on it," _he cleared his throat then said his opinion, "You believe that the imposter who posed as another Kidnapper did this? He would be that smart enough?"

"You shouldn't underestimate people like that Bob. For example, you didn't believe who I said I was and yet, here you are now on that task force."

He nodded his head side to side, "Yeah, you've got a point."

Marg paged over to her partner through the giant monitor announcing news, "Skylar! We've just received a report that nine people have vanished!"

"What! That's impossible! Even though if we've apprehended a decoy, then he disappeared, that must confirm your suspicions Skylar. There must be another handbook somewhere, and we only have one. On the other hand, we aren't going to test it, are we?" Josh asked getting a little anxious about the current situation.

"The thought has already crossed my mind, but with some of the rules written on the front flap, it seems almost impossible doing so; basically karma will bite you back and you will also be dead supposedly, or wherever these humans go. With every action, there's a consequence."

Bob folded his fingers and rested his chin on his hands, "What do the rules say?"

Sam grabbed the handbook in front of him and flipped it open, "One of them states that if you do not keep continuing the act that this handbook gives you the power to do, within two weeks of not doing anything, you will share the same fate as the people's names who've been written inside. I feel like it's saying kill or be killed in a sense, except you vanish in this case."

Skylar rubbed the back of her head, "If there is another handbook out there, I'll catch the real person using it, no matter what. Now that we think this, I would like all of you to be aware of other people when you leave this area, if anyone is holding anything out of the ordinary, please question and apprehend them."

Bob was lost in his thoughts again, _"In that little note I gave to my accomplice, it stated that if you can make Skylar and Marg vanish within a certain timeline, it will prove to me that you are on my side, and you will not be eliminated. If exactly 15 days past and they're still here, I have enough information to find that man and grant my wish. Just a little bit longer, and I'll taste victory." _

_"I've got you Bob, you will soon be sentenced to jail for life, and/or possible an execution if it's necessary. Now we just have to test this book somehow…"_ Skylar turned in her seat to face her microphone, "Marg, please contact the police station in West Virginia and see if they have any inmates there scheduled for execution, we will have them test the handbook."

There was no response to be heard on her assistant's side of the microphone, only static.

"Marg? Can you hear me?" Skylar tried again.

"Why isn't she responding? Is something wrong with the feed?" Bob asked.

She inhaled with a grim look in her eyes, "No, something else is happening…"

Crashes could suddenly be heard on the other end of the monitor, sounding like chairs flying into screens, papers flying everywhere, and something heavy getting thrown into a wall.

"What's happening!?" Sam yelled to the group.

The computer screen in front of Skylar shined brightly and then the screen read a message, **_'All Data Has Been Deleted.'_**

The young detective spoke, "I told Marg that if something were to happen to her, that she would delete all the data and video footage we've uncovered so far so that know one uncovers it, no matter how good your hacking skills may be. This data will never be seen again…"

Josh gasped, "The Kidnapper…has struck?"

Before she could answer his question, the lights dramatically flickered off and on multiple times, a few lights went out completely. When they shined with what little hope they had left, Skylar was nowhere to be found….

She had vanished.

"Skylar! Where are you? Where did you go?!" Bob had a dark look on his face, _"I don't know what's going on, I never planned any of this to happen, but maybe my ally has already hacked and found their real identities, this is perfect! With me in their presence, now they don't have a chance suspecting me now that my obstacles are gone out of the blue!"_

"Now that the Kidnapper has found out who they truly are, there's no reason to deny that we're next!" Josh gripped his head in turmoil, waiting for the end to happen, hoping it would be painless. The remaining task force members went hysterical momentarily, not knowing what would happen. Skylar and Marg had been eliminated by the Kidnapper.

Sam calmed himself down, "Why is nothing happening to us?"

Bob chimed in his acting skills as best as he could, making his breath shaky in panic, "It only means that the Kidnapper got whom he wanted to get rid of, the people that were in his way…Skylar and Marg. We can't just stand here any longer, we have to go out and avenge them! I'll catch you, you damn Kidnapper; you took away the only hope we had left!" He stood up and looked at the ceiling, _"Trap is complete, I knew I could count on this mysterious ally, turns out he does my every wish without having to see him in person, this is too good to be true."_


	8. Heavy Dreams

Three days had passed since the tragic event happened, Sam, Josh, and Bob were the only ones who knew what took place; they hadn't announced it to the police yet, considering they would react just as they did when they saw it for their own eyes. However, Josh volunteered for the job of having a conference discussing about that the higher officials would accept the remaining team that would still be able to work on the Kidnapper case to avenge Marg and Skylar.

After two and a half hours being gone, he finally arrived with the news, "I just got back from the conference, they said they will let us continue this case only because Skylar and Marg are nowhere to be found, and we are the only ones who knew them. It was tough to persuade them, but I managed to do it…for them. Now we just have to worry about the handbook."

Bob walked over to his brother and handed him a needed mug of coffee, "Personally, I think we should keep it locked up in a secret place only we know, but will be guarded at all times. Since there are two out there, I wouldn't see why the Kidnapper would want another one in his possession, it would technically be useless."

"How about we take the safe from here and transfer over to the new headquarters? We'll be staying there at all times, so no one would get to it," Sam suggested.

The student considered the offer and made a decision, "That's actually not a bad idea, good thinking. I don't like the idea of stealing their safe, but it's for the best." _"And now, I shall rule the world!"_

The team moved into their brand, new headquarters, built by the same people who built the previous one, however, it was nothing compared to what the first one was. And without Marg and Skylar operating it, nothing was ever the same for the team. All in all, it was still what they had hoped for. The technology was moved with caution and placed where Bob thought it should be, making it very organized. As soon as everything was put position where it should be, Bob noticed something, no realized something. Sam and his brother were suddenly nowhere to be seen or found. They had been in the main room unpacking equipment and throwing away the boxes into recycling bins. When Bob entered the room; that they had been last, he called out their names, looked at the security cameras, and found absolutely nothing. Could his accomplice have done this for his leader? Was he really that dedicated as much as Bob was?

It appeared so…

Of course, after this had happened, he needed a new partner to work with him. Attending college, he met a girl about his age named Katelyn, she happened to be getting a degree in forensic science. Bob had asked her to go with him on their lunch break from their studies, they discussed about their thoughts and opinions on what they think of the Kidnapper. Katelyn confessed that she thought that what he was doing for the good of mankind; making the bad go away and have the good hearted stay and make the world right. This struck Bob's interests. As they were walking back to the university, he whispered in her ear to make sure no one else heard, _"What if I told you that I was the Kidnapper?"_

They began walking again and acted natural, as if nothing happened. She answered honestly, "If you were, I wouldn't be scared, actually it matches your personality," she kept her eyes on the sidewalk.

"Then you'd make a great partner in crime. Would you accept being on my side and assisting me in my mission to make this world filled with justice?"

Katelyn took some time to think about the offer, then put her hand out, "You can have my word to keep it confidential," she concluded very business-like.

He accepted the handshake, "Then we have a deal," he smiled in victory, "However, we are working under to avenge the greatest detective in the world and her partner's tragic ending that the Kidnapper did. We are not working towards our goal, so that means we have to keep it just between us. Welcome to the team, my good friend."


	9. Dedication

More weeks had past, but it seemed like countless years. What Bob and Katelyn didn't know was that someone besides the regular police forces, was watching them right under their noses, with no trace of evidence left behind. The particular team's headquarters was located in secrecy, so that not even the military or president knew where they were. However, it was legal in doing this, since they had permission a long time ago, almost three years back to be exact. This team is unstoppable and will take anything into a game of risk, formed by two very familiar people.

None other than the greatest known detective throughout the world and her partner: Skylar and Marg.

What's that you say? You thought they had been killed three years ago? Well, that's what they want you to think.

Marg came back over from the coffee maker and set her roasted cup of elegance down on a napkin, not to get stains on any of the desks or monitors. Putting her forefingers on her temples, she began to rub slowly in circles, calming down her train of thought. The young detective however was too busy stacking a toothpick tower on her checkerboard layout to even notice. Still, she could sense tension in the room with the people. Marg's phone buzzed in her pocket and read a new text message sent by one of the agents currently investigating outside the building perimeter. Before putting in back in her jacket, she pressed a button and it deleted any data from the previous message.

"Skylar, there's been another disappearance in the N.P.A" she informed her partner while searching through her notes.

"I see, by whom?"

"Hopefully the real suspect of course."

Skylar adjusted the toothpicks gracefully one by one, "That's a very good point in your way Marg. The police will be tracing the suspect if the hostage is still missing. So, it protects his interests of other well-known hostages, and if it is in fact our prime suspect, I can narrow this case very sufficiently."

Marg pondered the thought for a minute.

"By the way Marg, have you been able to determine his whereabouts yet?"

"Not yet, just that he thrives in Capital University from time to time to visit the professors, but nothing beyond that," she sighed.

"Well that clinches it," Skylar said to herself.

"Please explain if you will."

The detective seemed to be thinking aloud for Marg to hear so she didn't have to explain her thoughts, rather than putting it in other terms, "Michael, you never change. You always over look the most important things because you let your emotions get the better of you. Or perhaps, you're not even involved in this case. It could possibly be someone else, but not likely. I suspect you of being the second Kidnapper…"

The duo tested theories on where the current location of Bob might be at this point, since none of their spies could track down anything. This pushed Skylar's thoughts even further, which is why she suspects of Michael being on the case as well. The monitor screens surrounding flashed as an unknown caller tried to contact them. Before any one of them picked it up though, Skylar traced the phone number back through histories and finally found the identity: it was Bob.

Marg nodded for Skylar to pick up her headset and answer it, being protected from being traced by the disguising of her voice, " I am pleased to meet you prime suspect number one, my name is Skylar."

Bob gasped a little on his end of line only because he thought the number that Michael had given him wouldn't work, _"Skylar. Why does that name sound so familiar? I know I've heard that before."_

"I told you that my team wouldn't rely on you that much without casualty. But, that's a bit of an understatement. The N.P.A and S.P.A.C have expletively asked that I had run this investigation, not you. Having said that, we are now solving this case dead on target. I feel something is missing though. After receiving the information, I believe that there is a possibility that solving this case could lead to the arrest of our prime suspect, and such I am willing to give you my full support," she spoke assertively.

Bob didn't know how to respond still with all this information compiling into his head all at once, he kept thinking to himself, _"Leading to the arrest of the prime suspect? Who is she, and why does she have so much confidence in her voice? It's almost…familiar."_

The detective broke the silence, "Is there a problem with that?"

"No, it's just following the disappearance, one person has been kidnapped and we believe that the same person is behind it. He's arranging for a trade in New York."

"A trade? The person for the evidence so far I presume. Yes, that would make sense since the hostage is one of our members."

"Precisely," he tried to keep his answers simple so the mysterious person couldn't read what he was thinking between his chosen words.

"Understood. I'll have the rest of our organization on standby for now, but also they will be working on the basics. Plus, I can monitor the city with our assembly. Or, on second thought…" Skylar dismissed the call mid-sentence in case of her plans would get leaked through the system. Pondering, she decided she would wait until tomorrow before contacting him again.

The next day's afternoon rolled around the corner, and they went back again to where the team started. Marg decided to prompt her partner in for her opinion, "If you don't mind Skylar, I would like to hear your thoughts on this, pertaining to evidence and the phone call from last night."

"The current suspect is foolish, and over confident, not to mention unusually cooperative with their agency. So much that I believe that he's working hand in hand with them."

"You think so?" Marg perked up.

"That would make the second suspect our target, or they could be the same person…"

"What? You can't be serious?"

"Yes I am. Having said that, I'll admit that I'm only 7% certain. Don't worry though; making assumptions is part of any puzzle or investigation. If wrong, I owe you an apology."

"What do you think is going to happen to us now?"

It was Skylar's turn to sigh, "It looks like we've been disbanded with our suspects."

Few seconds had passed before the system starting beeping again, "Skylar! One of our suspects is coming towards our room, what should we do?"

"Let him in, he already snuck past security, I know a way we can fool around him," she sat with her back towards the door, sorting out her decks of cards, "Suspect 2, welcome."

Due to aggravation, Michael whipped out his gun in lightning speed aiming it at the back of Skylar's head. In defense, Marg also held her gun up pointed at him, "Drop your weapon!" One of the guards came back to the room as soon as heard the guns click.

"Everyone please, put away your essential police certified weapons. Having to cause a riot in here would solve nothing," Skylar stated calmly.

Marg spoke, "Skylar, with all due respect, he's one of our prime suspects."

"Please don't make me say it again. Remember, our primary objective is to catch our kidnapper, but we all know for sure that he's a suspect, and we know how to handle it."

Michael put his gun back in his coat and smirked to himself, "It seems like everything is going as planned."

"Yes, we've pretty much figured out who this vile person is, it's mostly thanks to you," now it was Skylar's time to smirk at the thought.

"Arrgh! I'm not just some tool you can use to solve your little puzzles with," he sighed and gained his composure back, "Anyway, I've only come here for that suspect photo of me."

"If you want it so bad, than take it. I have no use for it; it's just a memory of when we were growing up as kids together now. Is that the only reason you came here Michael?"

"Skylar, let's get one thing straight, I have no right to be suspected."

The detective paused and considered it for a brief moment, "Yes, I suppose…"

"At the same time, I just can't take this and run. That wouldn't be right. I've come to share information with you; the N.P.A is acting secretive. Something isn't right; I suggest you have a look into it."

"Fine, since you mentioned it I will reduce your chances of our prime suspect down to 43%." _"Something isn't right here; it doesn't feel like the full story."_

As Michael turns to walk away and is heading out the room, he stops in his tracks, and said aloud, "Skylar."

"Michael."

The young rebel snickered, "I wonder which one of us is going to reach our prime suspect first?"

"The race is on."

"We're both headed towards the same destination. I'll meet you there."

She smiled to herself as her rival carefully stepped out of the private room, "Mhmm, right." After Michael had left, she now had some time to think to herself concerning the case. _"Hmmm, taking all this information, it has come to my conclusion that our 2 prime suspects have one full potential, being the person who is making all these innocent people disappear, and anyone in their way. But no, something's strange, why would Michael be our prime suspect? I find it illogical how he would be manipulative and have a precise enough mind to do that," _she sighed_, "I suppose there is only one way to classify that. And that's to see him in person with any allies or acquaintances that he has. Even though I would be risking my life, I wouldn't care if it meant justice."_

She had made her decision, "Marg, please contact me to the number that we listed as the N.P.A."

"Right away."

Bob answered on the other line, knowing it was the same person he was talking to before; he decided to answer simply, "Yes?"

"I thought you should know that I think number 2 is an imposter. We were able to interrogate him for a while, and I would like to have your opinion in this also, between our 2 suspects who do you think is the prime? Your agency, or him? I'd like to know."

He sighed, knowing this was coming sooner or later, "By process of elimination, suspect 2 hasn't had much kidnappings in your area as they are in my area. So, I am assuming that you think that one of our members is the prime one?"

"I'd thought you might say so; I've reached the same conclusion."

Attempting to cover up the headset microphone without making any noise, he ordered Katelyn, "Check the handbook to see if it's true or not."

However, the teenager heard over on the other line since their speakers were up at full volume, "Ah, so you have one? Is that so? I think I'm beginning to get the picture now very easily. In other words, you have an assistant there with the handbook that is on the prime suspect's behalf." A long pause was heard on the other end, and she continued, "If there's a problem; I suggest we verify it this way. I'll page you in to meet with our group, and bring any allies or supporters that you have. I will have a place picked our tomorrow. Does that sound fine?"

_"Errgh…If I answer based on my feelings alone, knowing that I'm the prime suspect here, it will only make me look worse in front of everyone."_ "Could you please wait for a moment, we need to discuss your suggestion," he spoke into the microphone then swiveled around in his chair, _"_O.K, what are your thoughts?"

"It depends where she chooses to see if we can make a move or not, but I think that we should go ahead and take our chances," Katelyn thought carefully.

Bob put the line back on, "Very well, just tell us tomorrow where you want to go and what time we will meet."

The call was ended.

Two more days go by since the last phone call, and the S.P.A.C decided to put their plan into place after the agents researched all night. Marg swivels around in her chair concluding her task that she had been given to carry out before confronting the enemy, "Skylar, I've done what you asked, it seems to be just a normal handbook."

"Good. Well, let's begin," grabbing her headset she paged the N.P.A.

"Yes?"

"I want to meet you," she got straight to the point.

"What?"

"There is something I must show you pertaining to the kidnapping incidents."

Bob was a little taken back by this plan, "But don't you suspect me of being the Kidnapper? Do you think it's wise to reveal yourself to me?"

"That's true, but I can't actually put myself in danger unless I physically show myself. Furthermore, actually revealing myself would prove something, and that will bring this case to a close."

"Alright fine, as far as I'm concerned, the sooner you realize that I'm not your prime suspect would be the better."

"I'd like to lay out some ground rules for the meeting."

"We're willing to go along with whatever you want."

Skylar paused for a brief minute and continued, "First, I want to have all of our "investigators" from both teams to be present, in other words, everyone from the N.P.A and the S.P.A.C should be gathered together to take part in this."

"I understand. That's not a problem."

"As I mentioned before, there were a total of three members of the S.P.A.C, but one disappeared. So, there will be two attending from my group including myself. Is this acceptable?"

"OK Skylar I understand, I also have two including myself."

"Very well, that's fine. Now as far as the meeting place," Marg clicked a button to send the picture over to the other line's monitor screens. Skylar explained the image, "A warehouse, on the outskirts of the southeast side of Columbus, that's been abandoned for some time. I've taken the liberty of purchasing it, if this arrangement is fine with you, then we'll use it." _"How about it Kidnapper? With a location like this, you can do anything you have planned for Marg and me."_ "One more thing, bring the handbook, but, I don't want you to carry it. That should be quite obvious to you."

Bob followed along, "Right, I understand."

"Then that's all left is to arrange the time and date." "_All of the disappearances usually occur around 1:00 A.M or so. If we take his movements into consideration…"_ "Say, three days from now, on the 23rd of January at midnight."

_"Midnight? That's the exact time I would expect her to pick. Skylar is obviously aware of what the patterns are in the timeline."_ "That's fine by me; the time doesn't really concern us," he added for good measure.

"Well then, midnight, three days from now."

"Sure," the student answered before hanging up the transmission. Clenching his right fist with passion and excitement he spoke to himself, "Skylar…"

"Kidnapper…" she spoke to herself as well, as if they could hear their own thoughts from miles away.

Both thinking the same thing in unison, they raise their voices, " I know exactly what your plan is, and I'm going to win!"

She turned to her partner, "Marg, will you be able to make it in time?"

"Yes, I will be there for your full support."

"Alright then let's do this, shall we?"


	10. Rays of Sorrow

The S.P.A.C's vehicle was parked in the back of the warehouse so the other team couldn't find it. Bob and Katelyn arrived with the plan in their head on what exactly what they were going to do. Katelyn glanced over at Bob, "There's no mistake that Skylar's inside, I checked, let's do this."

The team went inside with caution, being aware of their footsteps and any other unsuspecting noises that could be coming from the other side of the warehouse. As if a fine battle line was drawn between the two agencies; they stared at each other for a few minutes, just silence could be heard. Katelyn made an observation about only seeing their prime target's silhouette, "It's them, those two are the S.P.A.C, and the one in the shadows is Skylar. But, she's only hiding, not her partner, that shows that she is only trying to protect herself!"

Skylar spoke from the shadows, "It's just a precaution; there's a good chance that our kidnapper has been aware of everyone else in this warehouse, except for me. In fact, he'd be making you vanish as we speak."

Bob thought angrily to himself, _"This is all just a waste of my time isn't it? Skylar must be waiting for Michael to come, it's just as I predicted."_

His assistant felt agitated as well, "Skylar! It's been fifteen minutes! Nothing has happened to us yet!"

Bob being the Kidnapper stepped in, "It would seem that the Kidnapper is not with us now."

Skylar chuckled in her head a bit, "Very well, everyone seems to be safe, I'll step into the light now." As soon as the detective stepped out so you could her face, she directly made eye contact with Bob. Knowing that this was the same girl, he glared into her emotionless eyes. However, to calm down confusion amongst each other, they didn't acknowledge to the rest of the teams that they knew each other, and were sworn enemies.

Bob asked in a worried voice, "You're quiet Skylar, what's wrong? Are you still waiting for something?"

"Waiting. That's an excellent choice of words; yes I am waiting for the arrival of one final person. He'll be here soon, it's only a matter of time, there's only one entrance to this building and only one way to get out. That means he'll either open the door and walk inside, or he will just happen to peer in."

Katelyn knew exactly who the girl was talking about, but didn't want Marg to catch on, "Who is this person anyway?"

"Let's address him as P.S number 2, the one who is currently kidnapping people on the Kidnapper's behalf. He's bound to come here and bring the handbook with him. Then, he'll see me and try to make me disappear. My guess is in about 40 seconds he'll come through that door and try to make a move. But, whoever's identity isn't in the handbook, will be the real Kidnapper."

In the exact time Skylar announced, Michael came in through the door very quickly and began to write down the real identities of the S.P.A.C. Bob's plan was coming together as he thought to himself in pride, _"I knew it! The handbook that you have Skylar is a decoy one with fake modifications. But, the one that Michael is carrying is the real one and it works. So, in about 30 seconds your little plan will foil."_ "Looks like I win Skylar, this time your really going to disappear, unlike that magic trick you performed three years ago!"

Marg exclaimed, "Oh no! In roughly about thirty seconds, we're going to disappear for good!"

At this moment while everyone is freaking out, Bob and Skylar remain calm, holding the tension between them. Two minutes pass, Skylar sighed, "Didn't I already tell you that we weren't going to disappear?"

"But, why! Kidnapper! I did everything you told me to do!" Michael held his head in his hands in defeat, upset with himself.

"Marg! Take him now!" Skylar ordered for her partner to put Michael in an arm lock with his hands behind his back, in a position as to where he wasn't going anywhere, only if he knew the technique to break free.

Skylar picked up the handbook from where Marg was standing and opened it up, "If you didn't believe me before, take a look for yourselves. I can confirm that the first two photos and names are the real identities of the S.P.A.C members, otherwise known as us. The other one is your assistant. And the only one that isn't in here is Bob, so that concludes that he is the Kidnapper. If that weren't enough, Michael also addressed you as the Kidnapper, and said he did what you told him too."

Bob was not buying the reality, he was convinced enough that he was going to win and refused to believe the truth, "It's a trap! This whole thing was a set-up! This is all part of Skylar's plan to confine me isn't it? Isn't it a little odd how no one vanished? You are the same Skylar that Michael eliminated along with Marg! Why are you still here?"

"I believe I already told you no one would disappear because Marg skillfully switched and copied parts of the handbooks. I have one too that we made, and it's obviously a fake. Also, if you're describing the incident three years ago where we both faked our supposed deaths, let's just say that I planned for this to be happening. When the lights flickered due to the power draining, I snuck under the floorboards where my seat was located at, and Marg and I escaped: unscathed. We have been tracking you ever since, and now here we are today."

"That's impossible!"

Marg spoke up in a stern voice, "You know who you are, just a moment ago you were saying it looks like you win. It's Skylar and mine's victory against you. How much more of a confession do we need?" She proceeded to go over and apprehend him, but he flipped out.

"No! Stop it!" He runs to the wall and places his hands on it, trying to regain himself. Everyone in the room stops and everyone looks at him for a moment, waiting for him to say something, _"Useless fools, as if they could ever understand."_ He looked over at the detective, "Skylar! Here's some food for thought, the handbook you have, and the one Michael was carrying, are they both real?"

Skylar didn't know what he was planning to do, _"What is he up too? Is he bluffing?"_

"At the moment, only I know where the real one is. If you truly want to defeat the Kidnapper, as well as test the handbook, I guess you'll have to write down my name or Michael's. It's the only way to see if it's real…OR FAKE!" As fast as lightning, he grabbed a piece of the handbook out of his jacket pocket and started writing down Skylar's real name with a pen.

"He has a piece of the handbook!" Marg shouted.

Michael whipped his gun out and shot Bob in the hand, making him stop writing immediately, and grab his hand in wrenching pain, watching the blood seep from his appendages. In surprise as everyone else, Bob shouts back at him, "Michael! Who do you think you're shooting at? Don't mess with me!"

"Or what? What was all of this for then? The people you made disappear; I was never fully committed to your devious scheme! You used me!" Firing another shot, he managed to hit Bob in his left shoulder.

The Kidnapper was asking for it though, "All of the people against justice lose! They're fools!"

"You're calling THEM fools!" Michael forcefully jams his finger at Marg and Skylar, "Then you're calling me a fool too!"

Bob continues trying to kill Skylar, this time he's using his own blood on the handbook paper. The rebel couldn't take it anymore, he fired a third bullet in his anger and hatred for this man, hitting dead center in his ribs, making him drop the paper, now dissolving in it's own user's blood.

As the Kidnapper is fatally injured he exclaims to Michael, "What are you waiting for? Use the paper and pen to finish this!"

Marg was still staring at the chaos that she had just witnessed and asked Skylar, "It's finally over now, isn't it Skylar?"

"Yes, now for aftershock."

The 'aftershock' that Skylar was referring too was Michael going into shock due to shooting a person so many times by his flaming anger, now he didn't know what to do. In this game of killing innocent people, he only helped so that he could side with his childhood friend, Skylar, in the end along with her partner in crime, defeating this mastermind of evil in the end of it all. His emotions were mixed up and he was mortally confused, "Just get me away from here, please!"

Skylar walked over to Michael who was now on his knees, and put a comforting hand on his back, "No need to worry Michael, you'll be in good hands now. I knew what your plan was from the start when you came and gave us information. You don't have to apologize, you're one of us now."

While this heartwarming scene is taking place, Bob has tried to slip out the open entrance door to make a run for it. Marg notice that this is occurring, "Wait, Bob! He's getting away!"

"Marg! It's unlikely that he'll have anymore remaining pieces of the handbook, and with all of those bullets; he's not going to go far. He'll stop running soon, even if we leave him alone."

She knew her partner was right, "I suppose, but where do we go now?"

"First, let's get Michael under control. Then, there's only one place we can go back too, the S.P.A.C." The newly made trio walks out into the dimming sunrays and hops in the certified car. Driving away, Skylar keeps her thoughts to herself on what had just happened. They decide not to announce the news immediately worldwide, but wait until they find Bob's body when they send the forensics team out.

The student stumbles his way around the property of the warehouse and tries to catch his breath, gasping for air due to lack of blood. The bullet wounds are hurting every time his ribcage moves, and his vision dances with tiny, black spots. Heart beating even more rapidly he falls down face first on the ground, trying to turn over so he can see the sky one last time. The indigo light shines through and lands on his body and surrounding area. Bob's eyes close very slowly and he breathed his last breath.


End file.
